Light a Torch

Have a good look at the following article:

In fact this problem with the use of torchlight was addressed in my If post. I suppose another way of explaining the difference between torch and torchlight is by comparing them to moon and moonbeam. Torch and moon are tangible but torchlight and moonbeam are not.

The problem could also have arisen because Americans refer to torch as flashlight. Go figure.

Invitatory

I’ve been told time and again that perfect pronunciation doesn’t guarantee comprehension. In fact, I have to resort to pronouncing royale as royal and boulevard as bollyvard when I am met with uncomprehending looks. And those occasions are too numerous to number.

Then there is this word invitatory which even native speakers of English do not seem to agree on its pronunciation. For Americans,  words ending in -tory are pronounced disyllabically. But the Brits tend to clip it, making the ending sound exactly like tree.

That however is not the bone of contention. It’s the second syllable that puzzles me.  Should it rhyme with aye or it? If you go to this site, then the answer is aye. I’ve asked two Brits, and they say it should rhyme with it. What do you think?